British duo helps Cougars reach top of Canada West basketball standings

A pair of Brits have helped the University of Regina Cougars claw to the top of the Canada West men’s basketball standings.

Arinze Emeka-Anyakwo provides the Cougars with over 31 minutes per game while Asher Ndah gives the team a spark off the bench.

“They are really good guys and they are really good people,” Cougars head coach Steve Burrows said. “I lean on Arinze a lot. From a selfish perspective, he has a good understanding of the game and he has been here a while and he understands what we want to do and how we want to play and I trust his opinion.

“He has been well-coached in the past and I lean on his opinion a lot. His performance on the court has been very valuable for us.”

For both players, the journey to the Cougars has literally been a long one. Both previously were members of the Reading Rockets in Division 1 of the National Basketball League.

“It was a trip,” Burrows said. “A guy who I have a lot of respect for over there gave me the heads up on (Emeka-Anyakwo) and then I went over to England about five years ago now.

“I met Arinze at the time and then we spent some time together and we were fortunate enough that he decided that he would make the commitment to come here. And then Asher came the following year, so it has been great.”

Emeka-Anyakwo helped Ndah eventually decide to come to the Queen City as well.

“Me and Arinze, we played a year together in Reading and he did have a factor in me coming here as well,” Ndah said. “I already knew somebody here and I talked to Coach Burrows and my coach back home and everyone said it would be a good decision for me and it would be a good fit for me so I ended up coming here because of that.

“It was a big thing for me. Regina is a small town anyways for my standards and I wasn’t used to living away from home. Having someone here that I knew who knew the place and was telling me it was a good place to come to and was a good environment, it makes me think I can actually come here and make it a place I want to be.”

Emeka-Anyakwo (who is in his fourth year of U Sports eligibility) and Ndah (second) have grown accustomed to the changes that come with being in Canada, though there is the odd moment here and there where the two can notice a difference.

“I think it’s more so just when I think things are normal and then I’ll say something to my teammates that will cause them to look at me – even if it’s something as little as ‘car park’ instead of ‘parking lot’ and something like that,” Emeka-Anyakwo said.

“Culture-wise, I like the NBA culture and the basketball culture in Canada. In England, it’s a lot of soccer which dominates the media but here it’s refreshing to be able to see hockey and different sports.”

“The cold is definitely the biggest thing. Seeing it was -40 C, that was a shock,” Ndah added.

The two also had to adjust to the U Sports talent they’re now facing.

“I think one big difference is the pace is faster here. You have some really good players in England and a lot of talented players but I think here, it’s more so instead of it being your top one or two guys, it can be your top six guys,” said Emeka-Anyakwo, who is originally from Liverpool.

Emeka-Anyakwo is averaging a career-high 12.1 points per game this season. He also recently scored 25 points against the Mount Royal Cougars – the most he has scored in a Canada West game.

“I’ve just been able to stay present in the games and in each moment, not overthinking things too much and just becoming more comfortable on the court and in the game and in myself,” Emeka-Anyakwo said.

In his second season with the team, Ndah has new career highs in steals (six) and rebounds (16) this season.

The Cougars (12-2) are at the top of the conference’s standings entering this weekend’s series with the host Alberta Golden Bears.

“We’re happy with where we are sitting right now, but we also understand what is ahead of us and we are happy but not satisfied,” Burrows said. “We think there is not a lot separating the top teams in this league and we understand how hard winning is, so we will try to continue to get better and hopefully when we get to Winnipeg in a month’s time, we will be playing our best basketball.”

The Cougars have clinched a playoff spot but have a tough test to end their season prior to the Canada West tournament in Winnipeg.

Regina is to finish its season against the Golden Bears, Saskatchewan Huskies and Winnipeg Wesmen.

“Those teams are really good. This weekend is Alberta, who beat us up in pre-season, and then we play Sask,” Burrows said. “(When it’s) Sask-Regina, you can throw the standings out – it doesn’t matter and they are a good team.

“Then we have Winnipeg, who also beat us up in pre-season. (Those are) three of the top teams in Canada West and it will be good for us as we get into playoffs. We should be hardened, we should be tough and hopefully we can get healthy. We’re not super-healthy right now, but it is what it is – everyone is doing the same thing.”

Tipoff for this weekend’s games in Edmonton are set for 9 p.m. Saskatchewan time.